The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-10-25
The Experience of Hungry Coon Who
Wont OXster Huniing at Cat Island.

New YORK, October 15..-Frank G.. Whea-
ton, who used to be politician in New Or
leans, but is now handler of all sorts of pat
entS in this city, tells the following story:
1--WE used to have some great oyster suppers
in New Orleans. The oysters when | was
there were so big that dozen would do for
supper for half dozen men. Some of the
Bayou Cook and Bayou BaTataria oysters were
Q a foot long OF course they were too large to
eat raw. but they made an excellent fry.
The best oysters L ever ate came from the edge
Of the Gulf of Mexico, in the Mississippi sound
and Lake Pontchartrain before the Bonnie
Care Crevasse sent the fresh water of the
Mississippi river out into the lake and de-
strOyed the flavor of the bivaves. Do YOU
know that raccoons are exceedingly fond of
oysters? Well, they are. One moonlight
night l was standing on the gallery of the
lighthouse at Cat iSlaud down near the gulf
A party of us were on our way to Goose Point
to hunt brant and Curlew, and, as we knew
Sid Wilkinson, the lighthouse keeper, we
stopped over at Cat island one evening. 1t
was beautiful night, and though it was in
December, man scarcely felt the need of an
overcoat. The tide was at ebb, and Cat
island spit doomed up in the moon
light like long black strip of mud
running into the sound. This spit or promon-
tory was a mass of oysters, which sputtered
and snapped as they took in the atmosphere
and held social converse with each other. You
could walk out quarter of a mile over them
without getting your feet wet and eat all you
wanted. 1nal Is, II you could open tlem, 1Or
Just as soon as the oyster would see you he'd
shut up his she'll with snap like the breaking
of twig 1t was like walking over dry brush,
the way those oysters would snap at the APP
proach of anyone.
''Cat island is full OF coons," continued Mr.
Wheaton, taking fresh start. Chow they
got there l don't know, rs the island is twelve
miles from the nearest point of the main land.
L reckon they voyaged on logs. We'll, this
night, while we were standing ON the gallery,
we saw about dozen coons creep out of the
spit hunting for oysters One old coon
sneaked up behind big oyster that had his
she'll wide open and stuck his paw in TO get
the succulent bivalve. Quick as a flash the
oyster clappcd down on him, and the coon
yelled. He'd been there before though, and
began to tug Mt the oyster to get him loose
from the mud and sand, but the oyster was
one of a cluster and was too deeply
imbedded to be moved. He hung to
the coon like grim death, and it
looked as if the coon would be kept prisoner
We were so interested in the struggle we
stayed to watch it. The tide turned and at
o'clock in the morning all the other coons left
the beach, as the water was too high. 1t got
higher and higher; little waves were curling
over the spit and it looked as if the coon would
be drowned, He made last desperate effort
to move that oyster and then deliberately bit
his paw off. He left the end of it in the oyster
and hobbled off on three legs. Sid and | ran
down, and after a search of half an hour found
the spunky oyster as he was trying to eject the
ooon's paw and captured him. L reckon that
Sid has that coon's paw yet"